Machine for cleaning and polishing tin plates.



No'. 721,453. PATENTED PEB. 24, 1903.

W. MUGORD & T. GILL.

` MACHINE FOR CLEANING AND POLISHING TIN PLATES;

A'PrLwATIoN 'ILBD 'MAY ze, 1902. v No MODEL. 2 SHEETS-sum1.

YlllllllllI i' THE Nouns PETER co., moro-LITRO., WASHINGTON. o. c.

No. 721,458. l I I PATENTED FEB. 24 1903.

W. MoCORD & T. GILI.. i MACHINE EOE CLEANING AND POLISHING TIN PLATES.

APPLIOATION'FILED MAY 29, i902.

2 SHEETS--SHIHIEIT 2.

No MODEL..

UMTED c. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WESLEY MCOORD AND THOMAS GILL, OF LISBON, OHIO.

IvIAcHINE FOR CLEANING AND IAOLISQI-IINeI TIN PLATES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 721,458, dated February24, 1903.

l Application filed May 29, 1902.` lSerial No. 109,557, (No model.) I

To a/ZZ whom, it Vmay concern:

Be it known that we, WESLEY McCoRD and THOMAS GILL, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Lisbon, in the county 'of Columbiana andState of Ohio, have invented cerf tain new and usefulImprovements -in Machines for Cleaning and Polishi'ng'lin Plates; and we do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the in;vention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichitappertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to mill appliances, and has particular referenceto an apparatus for cleaning, drying, and polishing tin plates afterthey come from the tin-pot in the course of manufacture, for the purposeof finally freeing them from oil or grease, and for polishing them priorto dusting and boxing.

More particularly stated, the invention,

which we term a branner, comprises mechanism forreceiving tinned platesfrom the tinpot of a mill, automatically conveying them into and througha body of bran, sawdust, or other suitable cleansing material, invertingsaid plates and conducting them similarly through a second body ofcleansing material` for the purpose of removing all traces of oil orgrease, and finally delivering them in polished condition uponvasuitable receiving-table ready for packing. Y

The invention also comprises certain peculiarities of construction andarrangement of cooperating parts, modifications, and mechanicalequivalents thereof, as will be hereinafter more particularly described,and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, andwhereon corresponding letters of reference indicate same parts in theseveralviews, Figure l represents a side elevation of our invention inposition for operation. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of same from a pointof view indicated by arrow 2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of themechanism complete; and Fig.'4= is a longitudinal section taken on theline 4l 4, Fig. 3, and showing by dotted lines the course of plateswhile undergoing the cleaning and polishing operation.

Reference being had to the drawings and letters thereon, A indicates theframework of our `machine, preferably of Wood and rectan-` gular inform, thoughobviously the material orl materials employed throughout, asalso the form of construction, is wholly immaterial,

provided the mechanical functionsof the majchine are notinterfered with.

B indicates the curved bottom of bran- I ner, forming two independentsemicylindrical cleaning chambers or compartments C O2, ex-

tending transversely from side t side of the series of'diskorwheelconveyers F', concentrically mounted with [relation to compartmentC'and each provided with a series of radially-arranged operating-fingersG', said fingers of each particular conveyor traveling between one pairof thetracks D inthe course of each complete revolution ymade by theconveyers. y Similarly in the semicylindrical compartment, Czisrotatably mounted, as at c2 c2,`upon cross-shaft E2 a secondary seriesof conveyers F?, bearing radial fingers G2. By preference the individualconveyor-Wheels of the primary and secondary series are arranged inalinement, and consequently travel in corresponding vertical planes,although this arrangement is by no means essential to the mechanical andsuccessful operation of the machine.

Upon one end of driving-shaft E is a iixed belt-p ulley H and an idlerI, by agency whereof, together with a shifting belt, (not shown,) powerInay readily be appliedy to the machine at will of the operator.mechanism maybe substituted for` the pulleys shown, provided onlythatan" intermittent action may be obtained when desired. Upon the oppositeprojecting end of shaft E' and also upon the corresponding end of shaftE2 are secured sprocket-wheels cl e, respectively connectedby asprocket-chain j, as the Obviously any clutch ICO means of transmittingpower from one shaft to the other and imparting to the aforesaid primaryand secondary series of conveyers rotary motion in unison and in thesame direction, as indicated by arrows.

At front of the structure is pivotally mounted upon opposite sides offrame A a gage and guide bar J, which rising vertically from its pointsof support bridges the compartment C' above the primary conveyers F andis provided with a series of rearwardly-projecting downwardly-curvedspring guide-arms K, in staggered arrangement with relation to thewheels or disks F, each of said arms bearing upon its under side adownwardly-projecting gage-lug g, as best shown by Figs. l to 4f. Afteradjustment the bar J may be firmly secured in its adjusted position bymeans of the segmental rack h and a suitable set screw or nut t', and itwill be apparent from a description of operation to follow that thenumber and location of guide-arms K may be variously altered withoutmaterially impair-ing their usefulness. To the opposite or rear end offrame A is bolted or otherwise secured an inclined table L, having anupstanding end rail or stop j to arrest and retain the finished platespreparatory to boxing, and it will be particularly noted that said railor stop jmay serve also in the capacity of a gage to regulate anddetermine the number of plates that should accumulate before removal bya sweep toward either unobstructed side. In like manner the stop j may,if desired, be made adjustable in height and provided with a graduatedscale for the purpose of actually counting the plates and automaticallybundling them in accordance with their gage, weight, or size and thestandards prevailing as to number of sheets to the box.

The use and operation of this invention is substantially as follows: Tinplates as they come from the tin-pot still warm in the course ofmanufacture are introduced into the cleaning and polishing machine atits front end, where they are engaged by fingers G' upon the revolvingprimary conveyer-wheels F and forced down through a body of bran oranalogous cleaning and drying material contained in the compartment C'.Taking the course indicated by the continuous arrow in Fig. 4, they arenext elevated until their advance edges impinge upon the under side ofguides K, surmounting said primary conveyer F', and are conducted thenceto stops g, by which they are arrested. At thatinstant, springing clearof the curved central projection b on tracks D, the plates fall bygravity onto a set of fingers G2 of revolving secondary conveyer F2 inan inverted position and are similarly conducted down and through asecond body of dry bran or similar material contained in the compartmentC2. Rising thence as indicated by the continuous arrow aforesaid, theplates emerge from the machine thoroughly cleansed, dried, polished onboth sides, and straightened, whereupon, overbalanced by their ownweight, they fall onto the receiving-table L, ready for dusting and boX-ing.

Having thus described our invention, its use and leading points ofadvantage, what we claim, and desire to secu re by Letters Iatent, is-

l. In a machine for cleaning and polishing metallic plates thecombination with a clean-v ing-chamber containing curved guide-tracks,of a rotary conveyer concentrically mounted with relation to saidtracks, radial fingers upon said conveyerf for coperating with thetracks aforesaid to advance plates through the cleaning-chamber, and asuitable stop surmounting said conveyer for arresting the plates anddelivering them from the conveyer, substantially as specified.

2. In a machine for cleaning and polishing metallic plates thecombination with a cleaning-chamber containingcurved guide-tracks, of arotary conveyer concentrically mounted with relation to said tracks,radial fingers upon said conveyer for coperating with the tracksaforesaid in advancing plates through the cleaning-chamber, and a seriesof surmounting adjustable stops for arresting the plates and deliveringthem from the conveyer, substantially as specified.

3. In a machine for cleaning and polishing metallic plates thecombination with a primary cleaning-chamber and conveyer, of a secondarycleaning-chamber and its conveyer and a series of adjustable stopssurmounting said primary conveyer for arresting the plates anddelivering them from the primary to the secondary conveyer,substantially as specified.

4. In a machine for cleaning and polishing metallic plates thecombination with a primary cleaning-chamber and conveyer, of a secondarycleaning-chamber and its conveyer, and a series of adjustable stopssurmounting said primary conveyer for automatically transferring platesfrom one conveyer to the other, and for inverting them at the instant ofsuch transfer, substantially as specified.

5. In a machine for cleaning and polishing metallic plates thecombination with a cleaning-chamber, of primary and secondary conveyersrotatably mounted in said chamber, guide tracks underlying saidconveyers, guide-arms surmounting the primary conveyer for directing theplates in their course, and a series of adjustable stops surmountingsaid primary conveyer for arresting the plates and delivering them in aninverted position to the secondary conveyer, substantially as specified.

6. In a machine for cleaning and polishing metallic plates thecombination With a cleaning-chamber, of primary and secondary rotaryconveyers comprising a series of independent wheels or disks mountedupon a shaft common to each series, underlying guide-tracks arranged inpairs, a series of guide-arms surmounting said primary con- IOO IIO

Voyer-'Wheels and arranged in adjacent vertical planes, and a series ofadjustable stops adjustable stops for arresting said plates anddelivering them in an inverted position to the secondary conveyer, andasuitable table upon which the finished platesare automatically deliveredby the secondary conveyer, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof We subscribe our signatures in presence of twoWitnesses.

WESLEY MoooRD. vTHOMAS GILL.

Witnesses:

DAVID H. EELLs, BERT B. EELLs.

